What Goes Around Comes Around
by KlinicallyInsaneKoschei
Summary: AU after EoT. The Master has murdered Rassilon and is now being forced to pay the price, but will he get out alive? and what will The Doctor do when he finds him? First ever fanfic. Enjoy! x
1. Chapter 1

The white light was blinding, but comforting at the same time, the Master closed his eyes, letting the luminosity float and surround him.

'_Lucy...'_

He found that in the last few days, he had thought about her more than ever before. He wished it had not ended the way it had. It may not have seemed it, but those last few moments at Broadwell Prison had been the most heart wrenching of his life.

'_Till death do us part, Harry!!'_

He had loved her. He had so desperately loved her. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with Lucy at his side as he conquered the universe. And she had thrown that back in his face.

The master shuddered, the light was beginning to fade, distant voices and yelling could be heard, but he kept his tear filled eyes tightly closed.

He can never forgive himself for doing something so horrible to someone he loved so much. That entire year he had spent with her... it was like he was two different people. There was Harry, the kinder, loving side, who cherished every waking moment with Lucy, and there was The Master, the raw, unpredictable side that was driven by the insane 4 beat rhythm that pounded his skull and besieged Lucy's world in utter pain and confusion.

"_Can't you hear it Lucy?! Can't you hear it?!"_

_SMASH!_

"_Please Harry! You're hurting me!"_

_SMASH!_

_Plaster cracked and crumbled, falling off the wall like powder, __The Master banged her head against the wall, again and again and again._

"_Listen! Can't you hear it?!"_

"_H-Harry! P-Please!"_

The Master swallowed back the sob that rose up in his throat, trying to block out the awful memory that he could see so clearly in his deluded mind.

If only he had stopped to think about what he was doing, if only had listened to her pleas, Lucy would still be alive and he would not be so heartbroken.

He would never forgive himself.

The light had completely died away now; The Master slowly opened his eyes blinking back the tears that clouded his vision. Pathetic, only weak, feeble humans cried at memories.

He was alive; at least, sat huddled against the damp wall of a small dark cell. His hands were tied tightly behind his back. Heavy cuffs around his ankles and neck shackled him to iron rings that were fixed to the wall, chaining him up like some wild animal. Twisting round to try and find some sort of loophole, The Master gasped and gritted his teeth to prevent himself from crying out. Pain radiated from almost every inch of his body; deep, dark bruises and stinging wounds that covered most of him, which resulted in a painful throbbing that hurt as much as those beating drums that, in spite of everything, were still banging away in his head, screwing his mind up even further.

"_What goes around comes around!"_

The Master remembered someone really insignificant saying that to him, not that long ago. Maybe it was that really large woman that ran that Burger van at the scrap yard.

Well, too bloody right.

"_Please Harry! You're hurting me!"_

_SMASH!_

Poor Lucy had been forced to endure the pain and misery at his hands, now it was his turn to suffer.

Leaning back and swallowing, The Master felt a flicker of fear take hold inside him, lighting up like a lit match. How the hell was he gonna get out of this one? He was brutally injured, and trapped, with some sort of life forms who obviously wanted him dead.

_Damn..._

----

The Doctor cranked up the Tardis with a flip of a switch and a whack with the hammer, running his hands through his already messy hair, he yanked down another couple of levers and the time machine groaned at it started to materialise, leaving behind the ruins of Joshua Naismith's mansion.

And the final stand of The Master...

_"You did this to me! All of my life! __You _made_ me__!"_

The Doctor brushed away the hot tears that had formed in his weary brown eyes as he thought about his beloved friend. Even though he knew the Master would never have admitted it, but they had once had something, a very special friendship, that had been poisoned and ripped apart by that diabolical beat that had send The Master insane.

The Doctor shook his head sadly and turned away, back to the control panel. It didn't matter anymore; The Master was dead, killed by the very people, their People, who had planted the drumming in his mind and cruelly destroyed his life.

_It was over..._

----

The door to The Master's cell opened and his distended eyes squinted as the bright light from outside, wherever he was, overwhelmed him. A tall hooded figure wandered in, breathing slowly, its sharp eyes fixed on The Master. Glancing behind them, The Master glimpsed a beautiful pasture of crimson grass that stretched as far as his eyes could see.

_Gallifrey..._

He was home, on his home planet, the very place he was born and raised, the very place where he had grown up.

_Damn, so that meant..._

The figure turned and slammed the cell door shut, blocking out most of the light, then it turned back towards him and threw back its hood.

The Master immediately recognised the figure as Wordei, an lecturer from The Academy he had gone to when he was younger, and one of the many time lords that had stood boldly next to Rassilon just as 'The Link' had been broken, but it didn't surprise him, the moment he has seen the red grass, he knew instantly who had done this to him: The Time Lords.

_But why?_

Thinking he was going to get another pounding, The Master turned his head away, but instead he was spoken to.

"You still alive then?" Wordei's harsh voice boomed out.

"Yeah, sorry to disappoint you, but you can't kill someone as charismatic as me that easily, like you care anyway..."

The older time lord chuckled, The Master, no matter what situation he was in, always had something to say, then the older timelord's expression turned serious. "Wish I could say the same for our Lord President, but I can't".

The Master turned his head and looked at Wordei in the eye for the first time.

"Rassilon's dead?!" He repeated it to himself, in a merriment daze.

"Rassilon's dead!

"You murdered him!" Wordei snapped, losing his patience. "You cruelly and psychologically killed him for no reason whatsoever!" He stood back up again, looking down at The Master, who still had the shadow of a grin resting on his face. Wordei looked down at him, anger rushing though him like electricity.

_BANG!_

The Master jolted as a heavy foot collided with the side of his head, smashed his skull against the hard wall. Through disorientated eyes, he saw the foot heading back for more, and involuntarily he let out a silent scream in his mind, wondering if anyone could hear him, if anyone would listen, would they WANT to listen?

_Yeah right..._

----

The Doctor leapt in shock as a loud yell echoed about the Tardis. It ricocheted, bouncing off the walls, sounding horribly pained, but familiar at the same time. Jumping up, The Doctor ran and planted himself onto the control panel, hitting and pulling buttons and levers to try and trace where the yell had come from. He knew The Tardis was liable to pick up messages that people had emitted with their mind, whether they had meant to send them or not. But they had to be very powerful beings with strong minds.

_Such as Carrionates, Ood... _

_Or other time lords... _

The Doctor shook his head, as if he was shaking the thought out of existence. Nahh... it's impossible, they had all just perished... he was the last one...

Another yell sounded again, louder this time, and coupled with voices...

"_YOU MURDERER! HE DIED A SLOW AND PAINFUL DEATH AT YOUR HANDS AND ALL YOU CAN DO IS LAUGH!_

_There was a weak chuckle of laughter, followed by a very familiar voice._

"_He deserved it... "_

_More laughter, more shouting... _

The Doctor was so shocked he nearly fell over.

_Master?!_

The voices had faded away again, but The Doctor had heard everything he needed. He was alive, he wasn't sure how, but The Master was alive, The Doctor wanted to jump up and down and shout with happiness.

But there was time for that later ;)

He turned his attention back to the control panel and whacked another couple of levers into action, trying to trace where the voice of the other time lord had originated from.

As he concentrated on tracking the source, The Doctor felt a shiver go down his spine as he recalled the agonising yell, a shiver that spread through his entire body when he realised exactly where the source was.

_Coordinates 594-324-435-042,_

_Gallifrey..._

The Doctor inhaled sharply as the Tardis set its course, a hundred chilling thoughts piecing his mind like poisoned arrows. As they drew closer and closer to the planet, he could feel each and every consciousness of every Time Lord in existence, tiny beams of light stabbing softly inside his head, If it weren't for the fact they'd driven The Master completely mad and, by the sounds of it, sentenced him to a slow and incredibly painful death, the Doctor would probably have felt sorry for them.

_But not this time..._

_----_


	2. Chapter 2

**Firstly, can I say a HUGE thank you to every single lovely person out there who added me as a 'Favourite Author' and/or added this Fic to 'Favourite Stories' or 'Story Alert'.**

**I cannot believe that my 1****st**** ever Fanfic has got so much notice! So this is just a huge thanks to you all! :D**

**EDIT: After some constructive feedback, I decided to change this chapter a TINY bit. You most likely won't even notice. Just enjoy! **_-_

The Master opened his eyes slowly, then closed them again in defeat and shuddered violently, resisting the urge to gag as he felt his own blood in his mouth. Night was beginning to settle in; the soft glow of one of Gallifrey's moons was gleaming through the tiny window at the very top of his dark cell.

It had been almost ten days since Wordei has visited him, and he hasn't been the only timelord to come and have a whinge about the murder of their 'beloved' Rassilon. Six beatings and a smash over the head with a brick later, the drumming in his head was nearing skull shattering, The Master could no longer hear anything else but that dreaded noise. It overpowered his individual thoughts and consumed his corrupted mind, continuing to send him into his frenzied world of insanity and chaos.

_Onetwothreefour..._

_Onetwothreefour..._

_onetwothreefour!_

_onetwothreefour!_

Somehow through that torturing beat, The Master had the energy to think.

_I was transported to Gallifrey on the last day of the Time War, so how come the planet is still here? What's happened to the 'Living Hell' that's supposed to have descended and destroyed it?_

The Master had thought of this question numerous times, as had he asked it to at least four of the timelord's that he had seen while being here. But they either didn't know, or didn't wish to tell him, for he still didn't know.

_onetwothreefour!_

_onetwothreefour!_

The Master suppressed a sigh, drawing up his knees, wrapping his bruised arms around them and closing his eyes, they were no heavy cuffs fixing him to the wall any more. The Timelord's had removed them.

He couldn't stand up anymore anyway.

_..._

The Tardis trembled and groaned loudly as they entered Gallifrey's orbit, almost as if she recognised the planet that she and her Timelord passenger were from, and was having second's thoughts on going back. The Doctor calmed his faithful time machine with a whack from the hammer, and then yanked down the brakes as the sound of materialisation filled the air.

For a split second, the Doctor stood still, staring at the control panel screen, which was completely black. Wherever he had landed, it was in total darkness.

He wasn't quite sure what to expect, or how to feel when he saw The Master again, this was his nemesis, his arch rival who was to blame for most of his regenerations and who had tried to take over and destroy Earth on numerous occasions. And here he was about to go and help him. For all he knew, The Master could be perfectly fine, just waiting in the darkness, ready to attack him and take control of The Tardis... again.

_No..._

That scream he had heard was real enough. Somewhere, on Gallifrey, the Master was there, obviously not alone. But he was there.

But where was he? What was he doing?

_Was he even still alive?_

Gritting his teeth, The Doctor brushed some glass out of his long brown coat and headed for the double doors of his time machine.

_Only one way to find out..._

_..._

_Onetwothreefour..._

_Onetwothreefour..._

All he was aware of was the drumming, the constant drumming. It enclosed around him, resonating through every strand of DNA in his body.

_Onetwothreefour... _

_Onetwothreefour..._

The Master knew that consciousness would bring pain, so for as long as he could, he clung to the darkness...

_Onetwothreefour..._

_ONETWOTHREEFOUR!_

_ONETWOTHREEFOUR!_

_..._

The Doctor stepped slowly out of the Tardis doors, feeling nervous as he scanned the darkened area with his sonic screwdriver. He was in a very small area, with only a tiny window at the top, which led in a tiny stream of moonlight, illumining a filthy looking floor.

_A cell..._

A small rasping cough sounded from the other side of the room, making the Doctor nearly jump out of his skin. In an instant he had crossed the room, flashing his screwdriver this way and that, trying to locate the source of the sound.

"_Master!"_

_..._

The Master came to and glanced up with bleary eyes as the sharp blue light flashed across then settled on his face. The sound of footsteps, a calm voice, then a gentle hand brushing across his forehead, he was too weak to see who it was. But the comforting voice seemed familiar, someone he knew.

_Someone that would help..._

And with this content thought in mind, he surrendered to his perception and sunk back into the darkness.

_..._

The Doctor's hearts' sank as he reached The Master, throwing himself down on the cold floor next to his body to check his pulse. The Master's eyes cracked opened and briefly met his for a moment. But then they closed again.

The Doctor inhaled sharply, a channel of anger rushing through him like an icy torrent. The other timelord was so badly injured he had barely registered the Doctor was there. Yet straight he knew, he knew who had done this to him.

_How dare they, how DARE they do this! After everything they've done!_

The Timelords had everything to blame for the Master's evil ways. All those innocent people he had murdered, all those planets he'd threatened to burn and destroy, all those long years under his terrifying reign of Earth. They were all down to the drumming, the merciless, relentless drumming that these selfish timelords had forced upon him. And now, to add fuel to the fire, they'd imprisoned him, tortured him and left him to die, plagued by that drumming that they had planted in his mind..

The Doctor pulled out his screwdriver and passed it over The Master's lifeless body, cringing as the symbols his screwdriver buzzed back arranged it into words.

_Life energy failing ... 28%_

_..._

_Life energy failing ... 25%_

_..._

_Life energy failing ... 19%_

_..._

_Life energy failing ... 12%_

Swallowing nervously, The Doctor couldn't help but start to tremble as he went into panic mode. The Master's life energy was deteriorating, very quickly. He had maybe just a few minutes before it failed completely.

It didn't matter what he had done. The Doctor had to help him.

_And fast..._

_..._

**Sorry it's so rubbish! I'm getting worse! *cringe***

**Please let me know what you think! :) **

3


	3. Chapter 3

**Again, thank you very very much for all the reviews!**

**Sorry for the length of time it took to write this! I'm in the middle of my GCSES (N) so it's all revision, revision, revision... *yawn***

**Enjoy :)**

...

_Onetwothreefour..._

_Onetwothreefour..._

There they were the drums again, beating away, driving him over the edge and beyond and infiltrating into every corner of his mind.

_ONETWOTHREEFOUR!_

_ONETWOTHREEFOUR!_

The Master screamed to himself, begging the drums to stop, his hands clutching at his head as tears spilled out of his eyes and the intense sound continued.

_ONETWOTHREEFOUR!_

_ONETWOTHREEFOUR!_

It _hurt. _Why did the noise _hurt _so much?

_ONETWOTHREEFOUR!_

_ONETWOTHRE-_

"Master?"

The name was murmured; it cut through the drums like a knife and sparked recognition within The Master. His eyes shot open and he raised his head slightly. The Doctor was sat a few feet away from him, eyes overflowing with sympathy. The Master gave him an uncertain glance, and then tried to sit up.

"It's ok, don't try to move..." The Doctor spoke softly, he gazed at The Master, trying to catch his eye.

The Master didn't really hear him, he had rolled over and struggled upright, leaning against the wall for support and quickly wiping the tears from his eyes, even though The Doctor had already seen. He properly had also heard me screaming like a lunatic, The Master thought to himself bitterly. Trying to forget this, he glanced upwards.

After the darkness and despair of his cell; this large space room was too bright and cheerful. The walls were all a pale cream, topped with an optimistic blue border running all the way around the edge. Still refusing to look at the Doctor, The Master took a deep breath in and out, trying to ignore both the Doctor's eye and the deafening drums.

_ONETWOTHREEFOUR!_

_ONETWOTHREEFOUR!_

"Master?"

It was The Doctor again; he crept closer and hesitantly waved a hand in front of The Master's face. No response.

The Master continued looking up. The border had dark blue swirls on, which ended in small circler patterns. interesting.

"Master? Listen to me, you're inside The Tardis. In one of the remedial rooms, right underneath the heart of the ship, full of artron energy, natural healer. Since I was stopping to pick you up, I decided to activate the time rotor and power drive to absorb and transmit the energy to this room and ..."

The Doctor's trademark rambling slowly trailed off as The Master, bored of staring around aimlessly, turned his head towards him and looked him in the eye for the first time. He then slowly started pulling himself to his feet, using the wall for support.

As he straightened up, the Doctor was able to look at him properly since he'd brought him in here. The other timelord was in a bad way, with dark purple bruises covering his face and arms, and deep raw wounds around his wrists and neck, obviously from those manacles The Doctor remembered being in the cell.

The Master had stood up by now and was swaying slightly, his wild eyes still glaring at The Doctor. His breathing came out in short stabs; The Doctor suspected broken ribs, and his entire body was rigid and tense, like he was trying to hold something back.

The Doctor also stood up and took a step forward, unsure of what to say or do. He was unsure of what The Master's mental state was.

"Master?" The Doctor was quite close to him now. He reached out and gently slid the right sleeve back of The Master's black hoodie, exposing his bruised arm and the deep gash around his wrist. He carefully studied it, using it as an excuse not to look at The Master. His wild eyes were starting to freak him out, just a little.

The Master flinched slightly as The Doctor gently probed the skin near the wound, trying to work out how deep it was. The Doctor dreaded to think what infection had set into it.

The Master averted his gaze again, processing to pick at the wall with his free hand, tracing shapes that were impossible to make out.

He wondered if The Master cared about infection.

The Master exhaled slowly, seeming to relax for the first time since awakening. The minute the tension was released from his body, he flashed translucent blue, his skeleton gleaming through his skin. He shook his head and fell back against the wall, trying to fight it. His arm wrenched out of The Doctor's grip. The Doctor moved forward to support him in case he fell. But The Master shielded himself against him.

"I don't need…your..._help!"_ The Master snarled at him, speaking for the first time. The Doctor jumped at his tone, it was so wild and animalistic.

He slid down the wall, drew up his knees and buried his head, the flashing continuing. When it finally stopped, The Master didn't move, his face hidden.

The Doctor slowly walked over and sat down next to The Master, quite unsure of what to say. He knew The Master had been through alot, judging by physical state of him, but The Doctor stil has no real idea of what had happened. Other than the evidence in front of him. Why _had_ the timelords been so violent towards him? It was so unlike them. What had The Master done to get them so angry?

The Doctor sighed, it was times like this he wished The Master would speak his feelings more often, not bottle them up and leave The Doctor playing a hopeless guessing game.

The other timelord peered sideways at him through his arms; his eyes still dark from pain.

"You can't... _can_ you?"

The Doctor was thrown slightly by this.

"I... what?"

"Can you _still_ not hear it?" The Master's voice was muffled; he slowly stretched out an arm and tapped on the floor.

onetwothreefour...

The Doctor swallowed.

"It's only you Master, The timelords planted it inside _your_ he-"

Those few words seemed to spark something deep within The Master. He leapt up, all earlier pain forgotten, and seized the startled Doctor by the throat, dragging him up the wall and holding him there, so their eyes were level. The Master's eyes were positively animalistic, ready to kill. The Doctor begged him to let go, but THe Master only tightened his hold around The Doctor's throat, so he started to choke.

The Doctor hated to admit it, but he was scared.

_Talk about famous last words..._

...

**Thanks for reading :) **

**Please review if you can. I'm sorry if it's not as good as expected, but GCSES are taking over at the moment (N) it's not good :( **


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for all the reviews! I really appreciate each and every one! *hugs* **

**I have my BIG history exam this week (N) so sorry is this chapter isn't that good. **

**Enjoy x**

"Don't. You. _Dare. _Talk about those cowardly, lying, evil, twisted, good-for-nothing bastards to me!" The Master shouted right in The Doctor's face, slamming his head against the wall at each word. Blackness swam across The Doctor's eyes and he compelled himself to stay awake.

"Master... just list-"

"NO! _You _listen!" The Master tightened his hold fiercely.

"This isn't about you! Not this time! All my life I've been hard done-by, messed up and corrupted by others, and I'm _sick_ of it!"

Another wave of life energy flashed through The Master, but this time he braced himself and merely flinched before continuing.

"Nearly 3 weeks I was locked in that cell, timelords I once respected and trusted, hurling abuse and objects at me, all because I'd killed their precious_ Rassilon..." _The Master spat the name as if it was poisonous.

"What have I done? Doctor? What did I ever do to deserve _any_ of this? What did I ever do to deserve_ these?"_

He indicated his own head, tapping the infamous 4 beat rhythm on the side of his head.

_Onetwothreefour..._

_Onetwothreefour..._

The Doctor's hearts started to race as it slowly dawned on him exactly what they had done to The Master. Even as he stood, holding The Doctor up by his throat, The Doctor could sense the nervous tension radiating from The Master. He'd been tormented physically, emotionally and mentally. And it seemed he had finally cracked under the pressure.

_He's finally lost it..._

The Master stopped abruptly, suddenly feeling like he had revealed too much. He let The Doctor go, who fell down the wall and landed in a heap, mirroring the actions of The Master only a few minutes ago.

The Doctor exhaled deeply as he landed, immediately moving to rub his neck, The Master stared down at him hesitantly, like he was daring him to speak. The Doctor glanced up at him, almost scared at what reaction it would provoke. Now he knew the depth of his instability, it seemed wise not to upset or anger him.

"Master?" The Doctor decided lying on the floor with an unstable life form around was foolish and scrambled to his feet; he inched towards The Master, speaking softly.

The Master held his gaze for a moment, and then let it drop; he turned away from The Doctor, his breathing quickening. He'd had enough, enough of being in this room with somebody who didn't understand. He _had_ to get away.

"Master?" The Doctor felt dejected, they were back to this again. He continued rubbing his neck, which was already starting to bruise.

The Master ignored The Doctor; he glanced round the room, his breathing quickening more. There was no doorknob, no door.

_No way out..._

The Master realised he was suffocating; he couldn't get enough oxygen in, no matter how hard he tried. He began to panic. He collapsed to the floor, desperately trying to breath. But he was choking, dying...

"_Murderer..."_

_He was back in the cell, he could feel the heavy iron collar around his neck, feel the grimy wall, laced with dirt and blood, pressing against his back. He could smell the horrible stench of rotting flesh entering his nostriols. he could see the looming shadows of the Timelords standing nearby, hear their cries over Rassilon, hear his own cry as the brick came out of nowhere and smashed into his skull._

"_Murderer!"_

Then it all faded, and he was on his knees in that room, his eyes squeezed shut against the brightness, trapped, confined, no way out. He panicked even more as he heard footsteps, rushing towards him from the other side of the room. It was them, they were here. How were they here? The Master's fear increased. That's it, game over...

_He was going to die.._

_..._

The Doctor had sprinted over and threw himself down on the floor next to The Master. The Master was shaking now, huge tremors that shook his entire body. He coughed and spluttered, still unable to force the oxygen in. The Doctor took the trembling Timelord by the shoulders and tried to get him to relax, tell him what was wrong. But this seemed to make him worse. The Master fell back, away from the Doctor's grip, his eyes wide with terror.

"No. No. Please. No..."

The Doctor frowned, wondering if this was something to do with his failing life energy. But after a couple of moments it suddenly clicked.

_Panic attack..._

Realising there was only one thing to do, The Doctor moved again, so he was directly opposite The Master. The latter was still trembling, and his eyes still held that panic and fear. The Doctor reached forward and pressed his fingertips to The Master's temples.

"It's ok, just sleep..." He said calmly, pulling him into a hug as The Master's world faded into darkness...

...

**Sorry it's abit short.. and abit crap (N) ****History exam went well! Passed it with a bit of luck! YAY only 3 more exams to go! (Y)**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm SOOOO sorry for the long break between this chap and the last. I've had terrible writers block (N).**

The Master stayed in the remedial room for several days, drifting in and out of consciousness, taking in the artron energy that The Doctor was directing into the room. The Doctor knew that this wouldn't completely restore his seeping life energy, but it would give temporary relief at least.

"_What did I ever do to deserve this? To deserve these?_

The Doctor sighed heavily, and then continued pressing buttons on the Tardis monitor.

_Everything._

In some sense, he knew that The Master had had something like this coming to him for a very long time. What goes around comes around, as the earth saying goes. He'd been getting worse and worse, his overconfidence and arrogance blinding him.

That of course had been severely dented when he was shot by Lucy. But then he had returned, even more dangerous and madder than ever. He'd taken over the world... again. But then _that_ moment of glory had been cut short by the arrival of Rassilon and the timelords.

_Get out of the way..._

The Doctor remembered his feelings for The Master change at that point. Maybe The Master hadn't meant any of it, everything he'd done. He was really just a pawn, a pawn in the great game of reality.

"_People, timelords I once respected and trusted!"_

The Master had once high opinions of the timelords; they both had, a long time ago. But like he'd said, he'd been messed up, corrupted and changed by them.

"_And I'm sick of it!"_

The worse thing they could of done was torture him, The Doctor realised sadly, that had just made the betrayal all the worst.

The Doctor never thought he see the day when The Master was so traumatized, he was the stronger one. Never scared or intimidated by anything or anyone.

_So why had this trip back to Gallifrey turned him so impassive?_

The Doctor suppressed another sigh.

_Let's find out..._

...

The Doctor was relieved to see that The Masters' eyes were subdued once more when he appeared in the doorway of the control room. He was looking better too. The healing energy had treated his numerous injuries and now, bar his tattered clothes, he looked reasonably normal.

_Normal..._

The Doctor scoffed at himself for even putting The Master and 'normal' in the same sentence.

The Master's body language had changed too, all the turbulence from earlier seemed to have vanished. He was stood quietly, head slightly bend, neutral.

The Doctor blanked out his emotions and concentrated. He knew, following the last incident where The Master had nearly strangled him, that the other timelord was _not_ to be trusted. Whatever had happened to him had really rattled him; the slightest thing could set him off. He knew that not even the artron energy could heal that.

"Right."

The Master looked up at the sound of The Doctor's voice, at his now hardened over eyes, the eyes he couldn't bring himself to meet.

He knew what was coming

...

**Aghhhhhh... Sorry it's shit. Blame the writer's block.**

**I get my GCSE results in a couple of days! EEEEKK! :S**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the (extremely) long wait. Writer's block ought to be hunted down and shot. **

**Happy belated new year! *waves***

**So, this is the final chapter, just trying all the knots together really. It's not brilliant and sorry if it's not what you were expecting. **

**I plan to write another Doctor Who fic (when I have time!) and I am also in the middle of a BBC's Sherlock one-shot. I do LOVE Sherlock **

**Anyway, enjoy! (I hope.)**

The Doctor walked over and sat down at a small wooden table in the corner of the Tardis. He indicated The Master should to do the same.

The Master unwillingly edged forward, taking the seat opposite The Doctor.

He instantly regretted it.

"Why?" The Doctor's voice matched his new eyes. Cold, hard, no emotion. It was like the other timelord had morphed into a dalek right before his eyes.

The Master glanced upwards.

"What?"

"Why bother coming back? Why did you set up The Cult of Saxon? What was the point? Why bother resurrecting yourself when you fully knew that Lucy would be waiting? When you knew what she would try and do?"

The Master winced at the mention of Lucy. Fuck all these 'Whys', why did he have to bring her up at a time like this?

But The Doctor was on a roll.

"Why stick around, feasting on innocent humans and killing anything that got in your way? Why continue killing when you found out your life force was fading? Why go and accept the offer for fixing that immortality game? Why bother getting involved in trivial human affairs and taking over the world again? Wh-"

"I GET IT! JUST SHUT UP!" The Master yelled, his voice echoing around the console room.

The Doctor jumped slightly.

""JUST SHUT UP ALRIGHT? ALL YOUR WHYS WHYS WHYS!"

"Well then, start talking." The Doctor's voice was firm.

The Master sighed, resigned to the fact the other timelord wanted answers.

"You're not going to believe me... but I did it for Lucy. I thought, I _stupidly thought_. That if I could prove to myself that I was capable of doing something, without messing it out. It was somehow make up all for 'The Year That Never Was'. "

The Master chanced another glance up at The Doctor. He sat still, not interfering. He let The Master continue at his own pace.

"I loved her you know... I had really loved her. Not that she knew, or _I_ knew, at the time. We were always...clashing. Things were said, things were thrown, and then when she fought back I would-"

The Master broke off, biting his lip guiltily at the memories. Pushing her down the stairs, threatening to tie her to the bed and set it on fire, kicking her until she coughed up blood, banging her head against the wall...

The Master shut his eyes and leaned forward on the desk, burying his head in his arms. The Doctor shifted slightly in his seat. The Master continued from this position, his voice slightly muffled.

"But that wasn't me... it was someone else. It's like there are two different people, and that other person is the evil one, the one that listens to the drums, those blasted drums..."

He sat up and sighed bitterly.

"I _know _I've done many terrible things, believe me I know. But Lucy... Lucy was the worst. And you know why? because I was stupid, _stupid _ enough to think that it was alright. That is didn't matter. She had to put up with that for 12 months..."

The Master gestured to himself.

"So... what's 3 weeks compared to that eh?" He smiled half-heartily, trying to make a joke. But the tears were flowing now, splashily gently onto the tabletop. The Doctor watched them fall, feeling both triumphant, and slightly stunned. He knew that The Master would have never told another living soul about all of this. He wasn't one for feelings.

So why was it coming out now, after the trip to Gallifrey?

"What happened on Gallifrey?" The Doctor asked him softly, worried he would clam up and he'd be back to square one.

"They knew about it all, of course. They took great delight in talking to me about it all, about her. They were messing with my mind really, like they haven't done _that_ enough. But it wasn't just Rassilon followers... it was all of them. Timelords I'd know since birth, the trustworthy ones... or so I thought..."

The Master shook his head slightly, smiling slightly.

"Well... what goes around comes around eh? Or so it bloody should. 'Cause there pathetic humans that still need saving, who have priority. Life goes on then..."

The Master stood up abruptly, scraping his chair, spinning round to leave the room before any more tears spilled from his eyes. But a strong hand grabbed his wrist. He turned round to retaliate, but before he could say a word, he was pulled into a tight hug.

"Master... I'm so, so sorry." The Doctor whispered into The Master's ear. From this position, he could faintly hear The Master's heartbeat pounding in his ear drums, mirroring the drums.

_Onetwothreefour... _

_Onetwothreefour..._

Fresh waves of sympathy washed over The Doctor and he hugged the Master even tighter, and he swore down to himself that no matter what his old friend and older enemy had done. He wasn't going to judge him and he was going to help him every step of the way.

The Master stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to do or say. The last thing he'd expected is sympathy and pity, especially from The Doctor.

He tried to think back to the last person who'd hugged him with this much energy and compassion, and his hearts panged as he realised it was Lucy. Lucy was always an exception inside his head, but then, he _had _loved her. Something he didn't ever expect to do again.

The Master hovered there for another couple of seconds, and then he tentatively lifted his arms and hugged The Doctor back, resting his tired head on the other timelord's shoulder and closing his eyes.

And for one shining moment, something seemed to override the drums, put them on hold. Because stood there, engulfed in The Doctors arm's, he felt warm, protected and calm for one of the 1st times in his life. And nothing else mattered, because no matter what happened now. Whether he lived or died, he had The Doctor, to make it all better.

**That's its guys! Sorry you've wasted your life reading my rubbish! Please review with tips if you have any! I seriously need them I know!**

**Another fic coming soonish **


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